Sharpener for razor blades



Feb. 14, 1933. w. LE R. MARSHALL 1,897,760

SHARPENER FOR RAZOR BLADES Filed Sept. 23, 1931.

' Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES WALTER LE ROY MARSHALL, OFMERION, PENNSYLVANIA SHAR-PENER FOR RAZOR BLADES Application filedSeptember 23, 1931. Serial No. 564,499.

This invention relates to razor blade sharpeners and more particularlyto .devices adapted for sharpening the thin flexible blades of a safetyrazor.

5 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple,compact, easily manipulated device, operable to quickly and easily makethe dull edge of a safety razor blade keen and smooth.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device which mayeasily be kept clean or may be cleaned, and that does not wear orappreciably deteriorate even when used over long periods.

A further object of my invention is to provide a razor blade sharpeningsurface which is substantially semicylindrical and which is composed ofrelatively smooth glass or the sharpening surface of which is of glass,said surface being provided with a plurality of substantially abuttingplane surfaces, all tangent to a common cylindrical surface, saidsurfaces being arranged in parallel series in a direction parallel to 5a circular element of the cylindrical surface and the surfaces of anytwo adjacent series being arranged in a staggered relationship.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a substantiallysemicylindrical sharpening surface of glass covered with a plurality ofrelatively small plane surfaces arranged in a staggered relationshipwith respect to each other so that when a razor blade is rubbed on saidsurface mov- 5 ing in a direction substantially parallel to an elementof said cylindrical surface and with the edge or edges extendingsubstantially normal thereto, the edge is subjected to a progressiveset, one portion of the blade being in engagement with one of the saidplane surfaces and other portions of the blade being acted upon by otherrelatively small plane surfaces as the blade is so oscillated manuallyin engagement with 0 said substantially cylindrical glass surface. Afurther object of this invention is to provide a holder adapted tosecurely hold a safety razor blade and to resiliently clasp around afinger and so constructed as to 0 enable one to securely attach a safetyrazor blade thereto and to permit one to rub the blade on the glasssurface above described and to apply pressure to the blade sufiicient toflex the blade and effect a sharpening thereof elliciently and withoutthe danger of the sharp edges of the blade coming into accidentalcontact with the hands of the operator during the sharpening operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide a substantiallycylindrical sharpening surface of glass in which the diameter or radiusof the cylindrical surface is such that when a flexible blade of a razoris pressed thereagainst and is flexed, with the cutting edges of theblade at right angles to an element of the cylindrical surface, thesurface glass is substantially coincident with the tapered or bevelededge of the blade.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the specification andclaims below.

Referring to the drawing forming a part of this specification and inwhich the same reference characters are employed throughout the variousviews to designate the same parts,

Fig. -1 is a vertical transverse section of my improved razor sharpenerblock taken on the line l1 of Fig. 2, but with the blade holder in endelevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 1 but on a scalesufficiently enlarged to diametrically illustrate the relation of thecurved surface to the beveled edge of the blade and to show relativepositions in staggered arrangement of the plane surface 1n one circularseries to the plane surface of the next adjacent circular series ofplane surfaces.

Figs. 5 and 6 indicate a modified type of sharpening surface which maybe used in the practice of this invention.

My improved razor blade sharpening device comprises a glass block 1,preferably of pressed glass, and consisting of a substantiallysemicylindrical shell 2, provided with downwardly depending end walls3-3 and tapering side walls 44 diverging slowl upwardly, the walls 33and 4-4= extend ing downwardly a little below the lowest portion of theshell 2 and-to form a base or support upon which the block securelystands.

At the top edges of the side walls 1-4 are provided slightly overhangingflanges 55 the purpose of which will appear below.

The above construction provides a block with a substantiallysemicylindrical concave open-ended channel 6 extending across the top ofthe block. The said substantially cylindrical surface terminates,however, in relatively low flanges or beads 77 which are preferablyprovided with relatively vertical inner walls 7, 7 This substantiallysemicylindrical surface 6, bounded by the flanges 77 constitutes thesharpening surface of the device.

The particular feature of the substantially semicylindrical concavesharpening surface 6 is that it is composed of a large number ofrelatively small, like, plane surfaces 6. These plane surfaces 6 may bepressed into or formed in the normally cylindrical inner surface in anysuitable manner. preferably arranged in a plurality of parallel series,each series being parallel to an element of the cylindrical surface 6.In any pair of laterally adjacent series, th e plane surfaces of oneseries bear a staggered relationship with respect to the other series.Each plane surface 6 is preferably a diamond-shaped plane with the longdiagonal of each diamond-shaped figure lying in a plane parallel to thegeneratrix of the c lindrical surface 6, as is clearly shown in igs. 2and 3. The length of the substantially cylindrical surface 6 between theinner surface of the beads or flanges 7 is a little greater than thelength of a safety razor blade 8, as is also shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

In addition to the block 1, provide a blade holder 9 which preferablycomprises a substantially rectangular base plate 10 preferablysubstantially smaller than the blade 8 and provided with integrallynarrow extensions 10, 10 projecting centrally from the ends of thisplate to a point beyond the ends of the safety razor blade 8. This plate10 with its extensions 10 and 10 forms the base of the blade holderagainst which the safety razor blade may be held and secured in anysuitable manner. From the opposite sides of the plate extend upwardlyresilient finger-clasping arms 11-11, each substantially semicircular,in the main, but the upper ends of the arms are spaced from each otherand diverge slightly outwardly to facilitate the insertion of a fingerof the operator downwardly therebetween. These arms 11l1 are preferablyintegral with They arethe plate 10. The whole blade holder 9 ispreferably made of stiff sheet steel, stamped and pressed into the shapeabove described. The bottom of the plate 10 may be slightlycylindrically convex, transversely.

Centrally of the plate 10 and its extensions 10 and 10 are preferablyprovided two or more aligned openings 12 spaced from each other toregister with the conventional openings in a safety razor blade when itis placed thereon.

. Hinged to the end' of one of the extensions of the plate 10, as forinstance, to the end of the extension 1O on a pintle 13 is a strap 14also preferably made of thin sheet steel, of a width equal to that ofthe extensions 10 and 10 and of a length substantially equal to theover-all length of the plate 10 with its extensions 10 and 10 The freeend of the strap let is preferably provided with a resilient lip 15adapted to snap and to take over the free edge of the opposite extension10" so that when the strap is thus fastened to the plate and itsextensions, it lies flat against the underside of the said plate and itssaid extensions. The strap 14. is preferably provided with slightprojections 16 rising from the surface of the strap 14 which is adjacentthe plate 10 and in registration with the openings 12 when the strap isclasped to the bottom of the plate.

To secure a safety razor blade 8 to the holder one unclasps the free endof the strap 14 from the end of the extension 10", places a blade on thebottom of the plate 10 with the openings in the blade in registrationswith the openings 12 in the plate and then swings the strap 14downwardly against the blade inserting the slight projections 16 intothe openings in the blade and he then snaps the lip 15 over the free endof the extension 10". The projections 16 are slight. They do not extendvery much above the surface of the strap 14. They may extend through theblade 8 and into the openings 12 in the plate 10.

Having thus secured a blade to the holder, the operator then presses hisfinger down between the free ends of the arms 11 into the substantiallycircular opening therebetween, so that the arms 11 clasp around hisfinger, then taking the block 1 in his other hand, moves his finger,with the blade holder on it into the open end of the block, pressing theedges of the blade against the substantially cylindrical sharpeningsurface 6 of the sharpener. He then rubs the blade back and forth, a fewtimes,

in the directions indicated by the arrows 17, Fig. 1, pressing the edgesof the blade hard against the sharpening surface 6. This pressure shouldbe sufficient to substantially flex the blade 8 and a substantialfiexure of the blade is not prevented by the strap 14. The strap is sothin that it does not engage the surface 6 until the blade is flexedmuch more than it can readily be flexed by the pressure exerted by onefinger. However, the contact of this strap 14 with the cylindricalsurfaces 6 would not interfere with the sharpening of the blade providedthe blade is flexed sufliciently to cause the edges to bear hard againstthe surface 6. In so rubbing the blade, under pressure, back and forthover the sharpening surface 6, the beveled surface of the blade whichterminates in the cutting edge is brought into substantial parallelismor substantial coincidence with the substantially cylindrical sharpeningsurface with which it is in engagement, as is indicated in the enlargeddiagrammatic View, Fig. 4.

After one pair of edges has thus been dressed, sharpened or set, theblade is removed from the holder and turned or reversed in the holder tobring the opposite edges into a position where they be similarly rubbedagainst the sharpening surface 6 of the block.

But the essential feature of the present invention resides in the factthat the sharpening surface is not, strictly speaking, a purelycylindrical surface. It comprises a large number of plane surfaces,cylindrically arranged and all tangent to a common cylindrical surfaceconcentric with the axis of the substantially seinicylindrical surface6, and arranged in a plurality of circular series of plane surfaces, theplane surfaces of one series being in staggered relationship withrespect to the plane surfaces of the next adjacent series. Whether thesesurfaces are diamond-shaped, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4, or spaced andcircular, or spiral, the edges of each surface are not abrupt. Thejuncture of one diamond-shaped figure to the adjacent lateraldiamond-shaped surface, is more in the nature of slightly roundeddepressions. The deviation from a strictly cylindrical surface can beonly perceived by the sense of touch by very lightly and carefullyrubbing a finger back and forth on the surface 6. \Vhen the sharpeningsurface is such as is indicated in Fig. 5, wherein the plane surfacesare not contiguous but are slightly spaced, the edges of such planesurfaces do not rise abruptly but rise slowly and are rounded into aplane surface. \Vhen all the advantages of the invention are notrequired, the substantially semicylindrical sharpening surface may beprovided with spirally disposed parallel ridges or ribs, slightly risingfrom the cylindrical surface and having slowly rising sides, whichsuccessively act on different parts of the edge, but do not provide theappreciable plane surfaces present in the other modifications.

The sharpening surfaces of my im roved razor blade sharpener are smoothand minute laterally deflected teeth, comprising the cutting edge ofdull razor blade, are consecutively bent black and set into the plane ofthe blade due to the pressure applied to the edge in pressing it hardagainst the smooth sharpening surface 6 of the block 1. Moreover, Ibelieve that the rapid results, that is to say, the quick sharpening ofthe blade is due to the character of the glass surface that I provide.As the blade is oscillated back and forth over the staggered surfaces,the whole length of the blade is not being simultaneously acted upon inthe same way. One part or fraction of the edge of a blade first strikesthe edge of a plane surface and as it slides over that surface, more andmore of that portion on the blade is acted upon by the plane surface asit engages a wider portion of that small plane surface, and then anadjacent point on the blade engages an adjcent staggered plane surfaceand that portion of the blade is similarly acted upon, with the resultthat the pressure applied to the blade in pressing it down against thesharpening surface is really effective at a given moment on portions orsections of the entire length of the blade. The pressure applied to theblade, as a whole, is thus concentrated at any time on only a fractionof the length of the blade, and, therefore, it is higher at the pointswhere the edge is actually in contact with the sharpening surface. Thispressure, therefore, is probably highly effective in bending and settingthe outwardly deflected minute saw teeth of the dull edge of a razorback into the plane of the blade.

I am aware it has heretofore been attempted to utilize a glass surfaceupon which to sharpen a blade, but, so far as I know, such surfaces havealways been single plane surfaces, like the flat top of a hone or smoothcylindrical surfaces against which a blade is rubbed. By providing asharpening surface composed of a plurality of plane surfaces arrangedgenerally in circular series, all being tangential to a commoncylindrical surface, the plane surfaces being relatively small,numerous, highly polished and glassy and arranged in staggeredrelationship so that the contiguous or adjacent polished surfaces arenot acting upon the blade simultaneously in the same manner, I haveprovided a highly eflicient and simple means for providing a dull safetyrazor blade with an edge which is sharper and better than has heretoforebeen produced and that, in a much shorter time, and

with very few double strokes or oscillations.

The sharply rising inner walls at the ends of the sharpening surfaceprevent the sharp blade from projecting beyond the ends of the cylinderor where it might cut the hand of one using the device and the overhungedge or flanges protect the ends of the fingers and thumb used inholding the sharpener in the hand should the stroke carry the sharp edgeof the razor above the upper boundaries of the sharpening surface. Theends of the fingers and thumb are below the said fianges.

The block is of a size and shape adapted to rest in the palm of the handwith the fingers pressed against the sides of the block beneath theprotective flanges.

\Vhile I have found that a sharpening surface, composed of glass andcovered with a plurality of relatively small geometric figurespresenting plane surfaces, provides the best means which I havediscovered for the purposes specified, my invention is not to beconstrued as being limited to the use of the glass alone, since it ispossible that other materials which are sufiiciently hard, which willtake a high polish, and in which small geometric figures may beimprinted or im-. pressed, may be used instead of glass. For this reasonthe material of the sharpening device is referred to herein by itsphysical characteristics, that is to say, as being hard, smooth,non-abrasive with respect to and not abraded by the steel razor blade,and as being capable of receiving a high polish. Since the sharpening ofthe blade appears to be due to a rectification or straightening out orbending into alignment of the laterally deflected minute saw-teeth whichcharacterize the cutting edge of a dull razor blade, other hardnon-abrasive materials capable of being provided with a glossy or glassysurface texture, and capable of having formed therein slightly elevatedor depressed figures bounded by smooth minute walls gently curving intothe surface of said figures might be utilized in the practice of thisinvention and are, therefore, fully within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protectby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A sharpener for razor blades, comprising in combination a blockhaving a concave substantially semicylindrical smooth glass sharpeningsurface in the top thereof, said sharpening surface comprising aplurality of circumferential series of relatively small similarsubstantially plane surfaces, all tangential to a common cylindricalsurface, the surfaces of one series being in staggered relationship withrespect to the surfaces of the adjacent series.

2. A sharpener for razor blades, comprising in combination a blockhaving a concave substantially semicylindrical smooth glass sharpeningsurface in the top thereof, said sharpening surface comprising aplurality of circumferential series of contiguous diamond-shaped planesurfaces, all tangential to a common cylindrical surface, the surfacesof one series being in staggered relationship with respect to thesurfaces of the adjacent series.

3. A sharpener for safety razor blades, comprising in combination ablock provided with a concave substantially semicylindrical glasssharpening surface in the top thereof, said surface comprising aplurality of series of substantially plane contiguous small surfaces alltangential to a common cylindrical surface and with the plane surface ofone series in staggered relationship with respect to the plane surfacesof the adjacent series, and a flange extending outwardly from the topedges of the sides of said block to prevent the fingers of the holder ofsaid block from projecting into the path of the blade being sharpened.

4. A sharpener for safety razor blades comprising in combination a blockprovided with a concave substantially semicylindrical glass sharpeningsurface in the top thereof, said surface comprising a plurality ofseries of substantially plane contiguous small surfaces all tangentialto a common cylindrical surface and with the plane surface of one seriesin staggered relationship with respect to the plane surfaces of theadjacent series, the ends of said sharpening surface being provided witha square shoulder to prevent the end of a blade being sharpened fromprojecting beyond the ends of said block.

A sharpener for safety razor blades, comprising in combination a blockprovided with a concave substantially semicylindrical glass sharpeningsurface in the top thereof, said surface comprising a plurality ofseries of substantially plane contiguous small surfaces all tangentlalto a common cylindrical surface and with the plane surface of one seriesin staggered relationship with respect to the plane surfaces of theadjacent series, the ends of said sharpening surface being provided withinwardly projecting beads presenting square shoulders to prevent the endof a blade being sharpened from projecting beyond the ends of saidblock.

6. A sharpener for safety razor blades, comprising in combination ablock provided with a concave substantially semicylindrical glasssharpening surface in the top thereof, said surface comprising aplurality of series of substantially plane contiguous small surfaces alltangential to a common cylindrical surface and with the plane surface ofone series in staggered relationship with respect to the plane surfacesof the adjacent series, the ends of said sharpening surface beingprovided with means to preinemeo vent the end of a blade being sharpenedfrom projecting beyond the ends of said block, and a flange extendingoutwardly from the top edges of the sides of said block to prevent thefingers of the holder of said block from projecting into the path of theblade being sharpened.

7. A sharpening device for razor blades comprising a block of smoothpolished material as hard and as rigid as glass and which is notsubstantially abrasive to or substantially abraded by the steel of arazor blade when rubbed thereon, and having a sharpening surfacecomposed o1 a plurality of relatively small figures lying in difierentplanes, making slight angles to the plane of the top surface of saidblock, and with each other, each small figure presenting a smoothpolished upper surface bounded by smooth minute sloping walls gentlycurving into the plane of said upper surface.

8. A sharpening surface for razor blades comprising a block of smoothpolished nonabrasive material as hard and as rigid as glass and which isnot substantially abrasive to or abraded by the steel of a razor bladewhen rubbed thereon, and presenting a sharpening surface covered withsmall geometric figures imprinted in said sharpening surface and lyingslightly out of the general plane of the sharpening surface, the topsurface of each of said figures being smooth and highly polished andmaking slight angles with the general plane of said sharpening surfaceand with each other and being bounded by minute sloping polished wallsgently curving into the upper surface of the figure bounded thereby.

1n witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day ofSeptember, 1931.

WALTER LE BOY MARSHALL.

